PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 8: Puppeteer Francis

(A/N: This section - and the next - covers the class storylines for Aran and Evan, as both their stories are intertwined, similar to Kaiser and Angelic Buster. Aran’s story received a revamp in the Milestone update, which cleaned up a lot of the wonky early-history lore contradictions, which I think was an overall success, even though there were a couple of timeline issues that came up as a result.)

In Edelstein, Gelimer required additional sources of power for his experiments. To supply him with what he needed, Orchid ordered Francis the Puppeteer, the Black Wings’ lowest-ranking officer, to use his puppets to seize control of Victoria Island in order to find the Seal Stones, which she believed had enough power to revive Lotus. Orchid then told her followers that finding and destroying all the Seal Stones would allow the Black Mage to return. Francis used his puppets to manipulate the behavior of monsters, such as Horny Mushrooms, Orange Mushrooms, Ghost Stumps, and many others.

On Rien, Aran awoke from the ice to the sight of a girl named Lilin, who was thrilled to have finally found the lost hero. Aran quickly realized that she had no memories, which Lilin suspected was the result of the Black Mage’s curse. She explained that the Black Mage was an evil Transcendent who had attacked Maple World hundreds of years ago until Aran and the other Heroes had stopped him, though she added that the Heroes had all been cursed by the Black Mage and frozen in ice. Lilin admitted that she had no idea why Aran had woken up in Rien, though she noted that the curse had changed the island’s climate.

(A/N: In the Silent Crusade storyline, it’s stated that Maha planned to bring Aran to Rien because he hoped that the island’s cold climate would slow down the curse, which created a continuity error with Aran’s class story. After Aran’s story revamp in the Milestone update, it was once again emphasized that the curse froze over Rien, and so I’m gonna assume that’s the canon explanation. To make sense of it, I’m headcanoning that Rien was already naturally cold, although Aran’s curse turned it completely frozen permanently.)

She then introduced herself to Aran and explained that she was a member of the Rien Clan, which had awaited the lost hero’s return for centuries. With Aran still unable to remember anything, Lilin escorted the hero to town and introduced her to the native penguins of Rien along the way. The penguins were awestruck to meet Aran and presented her with gifts to help her grow stronger after learning that her memories and strength had been taken by the curse.

In town, Aran began feeling a strange sensation that something was calling to her as Lilin began telling her more about her past. She explained that after the Heroes and the Black Mage had disappeared, their legend had faded into obscurity, though the Rien Clan had passed down the stories and a prophecy of the Heroes’ return, with Lilin being the last member of her clan who still believed in it. She added that now that Aran had finally returned, just as she had believed, it meant that the Heroes would finally stop the Black Mage once and for all, as rumors of his return were spreading across Maple World.

Having explained more about Aran’s past, Lilin asked the hero whether she felt anything different. Aran explained that she had felt someone calling to her, to which Lilin wondered whether it was related to the large polearm in the middle of town. She explained that the polearm had been at the center of the island for centuries, and that the Rien Clan had settled around the polearm after learning that it had once belonged to one of the Heroes. Because Aran had awakened on Rien, Lilin suspected that Aran was the polearm hero and explained that the polearm hero was named ‘Aran’.

After learning her name, Aran decided to train and recover some of her skills by fighting the native monsters on Rien. Though she felt a sense of familiarity while swinging her polearm, Aran was unable to recall more of her memories. Because of this, Lilin suggested that she touch the giant polearm at the center of town, believing that the weapon would recognize its owner if the stories were true.

Upon touching the polearm, the spirit of Maha appeared before her, relieved to know that she could finally hear his voice. However, Maha was shocked to find that Aran had lost her memories and strength, which he realized was because of the Black Mage’s curse. In order to help her return to her old self, Maha used his power to awaken some of Aran’s dormant abilities and told her to keep training, as only regaining her strength would allow her to recover all of her missing memories.

Maha then gave Aran a new polearm to wield, causing Aran to wonder whether it meant that he wasn’t coming with her. Maha laughed that she was in no fit condition to be wielding him, though he then then added that she ought to hurry to regain her power, as something had happened to him as well, just like how she had lost her strength.

(A/N: This is later explained in Aran’s 4th job advancement, which reveals that darkness has been growing in Maha after years of isolation.)

After speaking with Maha, Aran began to regain some of her confidence that she was indeed the polearm hero Aran, for which she resolved to regain her strength as fast as she could by training. She then spoke with Lilin, who was pleased to hear that Aran had regained some of her old strength. Though she noted that the road ahead would be difficult, she added that it was one that Aran had already walked before.

She then told Aran that the only way to return to her old self was by training hard and diligently, which could only be done by leaving Rien and exploring Maple World. She explained that there was an information broker named Mr. Truth, better known as Tru, who could help her get stronger, and suggested that Aran meet with him in Lith Harbor.

Meanwhile, on a farm in Henesys, a young boy named Evan had a dream in which he met a large Onyx Dragon, who told him that he had been destined to become a Dragon Master. Upon awakening, Evan saw that the symbol on the dragon’s forehead had been imprinted on the back of his hand. After completing some chores around the farm, Evan was sent by his father to find a lost piglet.

As he approached it, he accidentally fell down a large covered hole in the ground and found himself in a forest exactly like the one from his dream. Instead of finding a dragon, however, he found an egg. Taking the egg, Evan climbed out of the hole and took the piglet back to his father. He then obtained an incubator from his brother Utah and placed the egg inside it. Soon after, the egg hatched and a baby dragon emerged from it. The dragon introduced himself as Mir and explained that their souls were now bound together by the Spirit Pact.

With Mir’s help, Evan learned that he was able to use magic, allowing him to quickly complete his other chores. After feeding Mir, Evan was sent by his father into town to deliver a letter to Chief Stan. Stan read the letter, which explained that there was a shortage of pig meat. Offering to help, Evan was sent by Stan to hunt Orange Mushroom caps.

Mir believed that helping people had to be the Dragon Master’s calling and urged Evan to find other people in trouble. Evan went to Rina’s house and met with Rina, who needed Blue Mushroom caps for a Blue Mushroom Porridge that she wanted to make for her sick friend, Maya. However, she warned Evan not to go near the monsters, as they were much more dangerous than Orange Mushrooms. At Mir’s insistence, however, Evan went anyways and brought the caps for Rina to make the porridge.

Meanwhile, Aran arrived at Lith Harbor and went to Tru’s shop, where she gave him a letter of introduction from Lilin. After reading the letter, Tru was amazed by Aran’s return and explained that he was also part of the Rien Clan, although he had left long ago after losing faith in the Heroes’ return. He told Aran that Lilin had stubbornly refused to leave Rien, even when her brother had left, though he added that Lilin’s faith had now been rewarded, for which he promised to help Aran in any way that he could.

To help her get stronger, Tru suggested that she work as an informant for him, as it would help her get stronger and learn more about Maple World. He explained that there were all sorts of rumors circulating, such as a descendant of the Empress’ bloodline – long thought to have been ended – appearing and forming an order of knights, as well as some concerns that the Black Mage may soon be coming back. 

Tru then sent Aran on her first mission, which was to investigate the recent behavior of Orange Mushrooms in Henesys. There, Aran spoke to a mushroom researcher named Scarrs, who asked her to defeat Cynical Orange Mushrooms for him. After defeating them, Aran returned and brought him an Orange Mushroom puppet, which she had found inside one of the monsters.

Scarrs hypothesized that the puppets were responsible for the strange behavior of the monsters. In order to confirm his theory, he asked Aran to defeat Crying Blue Mushrooms and check if they had puppets inside them as well. Aran brought back a puppet from inside the monsters, with which Scarrs determined that the puppets produced a noise on a frequency that only monsters could hear. He then promised that he would research more on the nature of the puppets.

Soon after, Chief Stan contacted Evan and explained that he needed help with something, but he first wanted to test Evan’s strength before he entrusted him with the mission. He then asked Evan to bring back a puppet from the Crying Blue Mushrooms. After proving himself, Stan asked Evan to investigate the Golem Temple, as the Golems had become increasingly restless. At the Golem Temple, Evan found a mysterious building with a puppet hanging from it. He reported his discovery to Stan, who noted that the town could handle weaker monsters such as Pigs or Mushrooms, but Golems would be extremely dangerous. 

Some time later, Stan contacted Evan and told him that Camila, Utah’s girlfriend, had been kidnapped by the Golems while she had been out picking strawberries. Evan rushed to the temple and quickly defeated the Enraged Golem who had taken her. After bringing Camila back to town, Stan expressed his gratitude.

Wondering about the cause of the Golems’ behavior, Stan asked Evan to speak with Camila about anything strange that she might have noticed. Camila told him that she had seen Enraged Golems coming out of the same mysterious building that Evan had discovered. Stan then asked Evan to go into the building and eliminate the Enraged Golems to see if they had any clues. After doing so, Evan brought back a Golem puppet, confirming Stan’s suspicions. As a final favor, Stan asked Evan to warn the other towns of Victoria Island. He asked Evan to go see Bruce, an archeologist who had been sent to study the Golems’ behavior, in order to have him explain the details to the other towns.

Bruce told Evan that he couldn’t possibly go to every town on Victoria Island, and instead suggested that Evan ask Luke, a member of the Victoria Guard, as he could spread the word more easily. Bruce also suggested that it would be helpful if Evan brought evidence, and so Evan found a Golem puppet and took it to Luke. Though Luke was doubtful that a puppet could cause something so major, he nevertheless accepted Bruce’s word as a professional and agreed to warn the other towns. 

At Luke’s request, Evan traveled to Perion to warn Ayan, a resident of the town, about the monsters. Ayan then asked Evan to accept a position with the Victoria Guard and help around the town. After consulting with Mir, he accepted the position and was made into an honorary guard, as he was too young to be an official one. For his first mission, Evan was asked to find an Explorer who had gone missing in northern Perion. He found the missing Explorer, Christopher, who was severely dehydrated. Evan brought him Cold Stump Sap in order to help quench his thirst.

He then reported back to Ayan, who asked him to update the warning signs around Perion to ensure they were up to date with correct information. After fixing the signs, Evan learned from Ayan that Smirking Ghost Stumps had been discovered, just as Evan had warned, and asked him to see if they had a puppet in them as well. Evan successfully returned with a puppet and, realizing the magnitude of the situation, Ayan decided to call in official Victoria Guard members to defend the town. Though Evan was no longer needed, she told him that because of his actions, he had grown more famous. She also told him that others around Victoria Island would benefit from his help as well. 

Meanwhile, Aran returned back to Tru after helping Scarrs and reported her findings to him. Tru was pleased by her discovery and noted that he would be able to sell the information for a decent price. He then explained that while she had been investigating the puppets, someone had been kidnapped by Golems in Henesys, with a puppet being responsible for the Golems’ violent behavior. He then sent Aran to Henesys and asked her to learn more from Camila.

Camila explained that she was the one who had been kidnapped by the Golem, to which Aran asked her whether she had seen anyone suspicious near the Golem Temple. Camila replied that there were always Explorers around the temple, though there hadn’t been anyone suspicious at the time. Aran then asked if she had seen anyone who could have been putting the puppets inside the monsters around town. Camila suddenly remembered that a strange boy had recently arrived holding a puppet, which had also been around the time that strange activities had begun occurring in Henesys.

Realizing that this boy was the cause of the puppet activity, Aran warned Chief Stan about him. Stan realized that they needed to prepare themselves, and so he asked Aran to help them by thinning out the Golems before the strange boy arrived. After Aran cleared out the monsters, she returned to Chief Stan, who thanked her and explained that she had acted just in time, as the strange boy had been sighted near the Golem Temple.

As she wondered what the boy could be up to, Aran heard a mysterious voice in her head, which she immediately realized belonged to the boy responsible for the puppets. The boy teleported Aran to his cave, where he introduced himself as Francis the Puppeteer from the Black Wings. He told Aran that she had annoyed him by getting rid of his puppets and threatened her with the wrath of the Black Mage if she didn’t stay out of his way.

Aran then returned back to Tru’s shop and explained what had happened. Tru explained that he had heard of the Black Wings and told her that he had thought that they were merely a hoax. He began to grow concerned that the Black Mage truly was on the verge of resurrection and resolved to look into the Black Wings. He then told Aran to inform Lilin about this latest development, adding that the return of the Heroes, the followers of the Black Mage, and the prophecy were all connected. Given how much Lilin had researched and believed in the Heroes, Tru told Aran that Lilin had a right to know as much as anyone, especially since she might be able to help them with her knowledge.

Aran returned to Rien and explained the situation to Lilin, who noted that the rise of the Black Wings seemed to confirm that the Black Mage was still alive. When Aran asked Lilin if she was afraid, she replied that she had no fears, as she was certain that Aran would defeat the Black Mage. She reassured Aran that it was clear that her strength was returning since coming out of the ice, and that there was no way that Aran had endured so much suffering only to lose to the Black Mage. 

Lilin then told Aran to return back to Tru, who asked her to investigate the strange monster activity in Perion, citing the similarities with the events in Henesys. At his request, Aran met with 10 Boogies, a Cygnus Knights informant, who told her that a puppet was the likely cause for the strange behavior in the Smirking Ghost Stumps. She showed Aran a monitor that could detect puppet activity, which confirmed that there was a puppet in the area.

She explained that if a puppet were inside a monster, the puppet energy on the monitor would have been moving, but the monitor indicated that the puppet energy was still. 10 Boogies suspected that the puppet was hidden in the area and asked Aran to investigate. Aran then discovered several puppets hidden beneath piles of old relics.

With this information, 10 Boogies concluded that firstly, aberrant monster behavior always stemmed from a puppet; secondly, the puppets didn’t have to be inside the monsters, merely in the area; finally, the Puppeteer had the power to control all of Victoria Island, not just a specific town. With her investigation complete, 10 Boogies asked Aran to deliver her research report to Neinheart, as she was unable to leave her post.

In Ereve, Neinheart was surprised to see Aran arriving with 10 Boogies’ report, wondering why a stranger had come in her place. Though he thanked Aran for delivering the report, he politely asked her to leave, as Ereve was closed to anyone who was not seeking to become a Cygnus Knight. Aran asked Neinheart who the Cygnus Knights were, to which he bemusedly asked whether she had really done a favor for 10 Boogies without even knowing who the Knights were. He then explained that the Knights had been formed by Empress Cygnus before asking her to leave him to his work.

After speaking with Neinheart, Aran recalled a vague memory of Ereve and a sense that she had been there before, as well as a realization that there had been an Empress before Cygnus. Nevertheless, she decided to return to Tru and reported what had happened in Perion. Tru then told Aran that the Puppeteer had been sighted in Ellinia, for which he asked her to speak with Rowen the Fairy, who was the one who had seen him.

Rowen told Aran that she had seen a robed boy earlier, and that she believed him to be the Puppeteer because the monsters of Ellinia had become much more violent shortly after his appearance. She explained that she had followed the boy to the northern forests, where she had found his secret hideout, which had been decorated with puppets. As she hadn’t been able to properly hear the password to the hideout, she suggested that Aran visit Fanzy, a magical cat who lived near the Great Tree, who might have overheard it.

Fanzy offered to give Aran the password in exchange for Evil Eye tails, after which he told her that the password was “******* is a genius Puppeteer!”, explaining that he hadn’t caught the first word, though he added that it sounded like a name. Aran deduced that the missing word was ‘Francis’ and used the password to enter the cave. There, she confronted Francis, who was shocked that Aran had managed to infiltrate his hideout. Aran demanded to know why Francis was controlling the monsters of Victoria Island, though Francis refused to tell her and began to attack.

Aran proceeded to soundly defeat Francis, though the Puppeteer nevertheless managed to escape. Aran then took a document from his cave and brought it to Tru. He realized that the document was written in code and told Aran to bring it to Lilin, who was a master codebreaker since her youth, as many of the legends about the Heroes had been written in code that she had meticulously deciphered.

Aran brought the document to Lilin, who solved the code and learned that Francis’ mission was to recover the Seal Stone of Victoria Island, and that he had been using his puppets to control the monsters of Victoria Island in order to find it. The report also showed that due to unforeseen complications from external forces, the mission had been delayed and Francis had requested reinforcements. Lilin noted that the report had been written by Francis to his superior, and that he had been extremely obsequious in his wording, causing her to wonder who Francis was reporting to.

Though Lilin was unsure what the Seal Stone was, she told Aran that since it seemed to be something that the Black Wings were searching desperately for, she believed that it had to be closely related to the Black Mage. Knowing that Aran was likely the external complication that Francis was referring to, Lilin advised Aran to exercise caution. Aran confidently replied that she would be able to handle the Black Wings, to which Lilin replied that though Aran was talking like a hero again, she still had a long way to go, for which she ordered Aran to start training again.

Around this time, Phantom awoke from the ice and began to reacquaint himself with the centuries of history that he had missed by helping his intelligence network aboard the Lumiere collect information. He was then hired by Tru, who asked him to help recover the Seal Stone of Victoria Island. Although Phantom told Tru that the Seal Stone was useless while the Black Mage was sealed, he nevertheless helped Tru obtain the Seal Stone.

Aran was then contacted by the voice of Tru in her head, who asked her to come see him at his shop, though Aran noted that Tru’s manner of speaking was uncharacteristic of him. She arrived at his shop and found him tied unconscious to a chair, with Francis and a second Tru awaiting her. Francis thanked the second Tru, who revealed himself to be a shapeshifted Baroq. After Baroq left, Francis told Aran that the reason she had beaten him last time was because he had just come back from a battle with the Cygnus Knights, promising that he would be a much stronger foe this time around.

(A/N: This is likely a reference to the Cygnus Knights storyline from before the Cygnus Awakens revamp, which took place around the same time as Aran and Evan’s storylines. The current Cygnus Knights storyline makes allusions to the original version, namely that Francis had once tried to use his puppets to take over Victoria Island and was stopped by the Cygnus Knights. We can assume that Francis is referring to one of the battles that the old Cygnus Knight storyline has you do.)

Despite his boasting, Aran was once again able to defeat him with ease, forcing Francis to retreat. She then freed Tru, who thanked her for saving him. He was surprised that Francis would have gone so far, though he waved away Aran’s apology and explained that she had come at the optimal time. Aran was confused by what he meant, and so Tru explained that Francis’ drastic measures meant that the document which she had obtained from his cave was real, which confirmed that the Black Wings’ goal was to recover the Seal Stone of Victoria Island.

He then presented the Seal Stone to a surprised Aran, revealing that he had already managed to acquire it. He explained that one of his business partners had been one step faster than us, and that their employer had managed to steal the Seal Stone first and deliver it to him, though the Black Wings had attacked his shop before he had gotten the chance to tell her and Lilin. Aran noted that his business partner’s employer was quite impressive, to which Tru replied that it was rumored that he was a great thief, causing Aran to suddenly recall Phantom’s name.

As the Seal Stone wasn’t safe with him, Tru asked Aran to bring it to Lilin for safekeeping, as Rien was home only to the Rien Clan, with many spells having been placed on it to keep it inaccessible to foreigners. He then told Aran that he would no longer assign her missions, as she had already made too big of a reputation for herself with the Black Wings to covertly gather information.

He added that she had gained enough experience about Maple World to gather information for herself, and that she should focus on regaining her strength while he sent another informant to investigate Francis’ hideout. He then told her that he would keep investigating the Black Wings, and that he would contact her immediately if she learned more about the Seal Stone. Aran then brought the Seal Stone of Victoria Island to Lilin, who promised to keep it safe on Rien.

Soon after, Maha called to Aran through their mental link and told her that he could feel that she had grown much stronger. He called her back to Rien, where he asked her whether she had regained any more of her memories. Aran replied that she could only remember his name and a memory of fighting in a great battle, as well as the fact that she had fought beside her comrades.

Maha explained that the reason why she had lost her memory was because she had been greatly weakened when the Black Mage had cursed her, and while she had instinctively protected herself against the physical shock, she had been unable to defend against the mental shock. Because of this, Maha believed that the fastest way for her to regain her strength was by regaining her memories. He explained that he had suspected that Aran wouldn’t be the same after waking up from the curse, which was why he had made provisions long ago by bringing her to Rien, as the Black Mage’s influence there was considerably weaker, making it the perfect place for him to cast a protective spell on.

He revealed that he had used his magic to create a special place on Rien where she could regain her memories, though he couldn’t remember exactly where it was after hundreds of years. Aran then met with Lillin, who explained that her clan had discovered an ice cave long ago, where they had discovered a special mirror which could reflect moments from one’s past. Lilin realized that Maha must have created it for Aran in order to regain her memories and asked her to visit the Mirror Cave.

Using the mirror, Aran witnessed a memory of her past self in Mu Lung, where she had met with the greatest blacksmith in Maple World. There, she watched as her past self requested the blacksmith for his greatest weapon, though the blacksmith refused, claiming that the weapon was so sharp that it could even hurt its owner. He also added that the weapon was inhabited by a spirit, which very few people could handle.

Upon seeing Aran’s insistence that such a weapon would be perfect for her, the blacksmith asked her why she wanted to wield it. Aran explained that she wished to use it to protect others, not to harm them. The blacksmith decided to test her and tasked her with defeating the master of the nearby mountain. Believing that she might regain more of her memories by retaking the test, the Aran of the present traveled to the mountain and defeated its master, King Centipede. She then returned to the blacksmith’s shop and watched the blacksmith express his amazement at her past self’s prowess.

He then presented Maha to Aran, who watched in surprise as the spirit of Maha emerged and surveyed Aran with little impressment. Maha demanded to know how Aran planned to satisfy him as his owner, to which Aran promised to make him the most famous weapon in Maple World. Seeing that Aran was serious, Maha reluctantly relented to becoming her weapon.

Back in the present, Aran returned to Maha and told him that she remembered her promise that she would defeat the Black Mage and make him famous. Having recalled more of her past, Maha awakened more of her power and asked her to use it to continue growing stronger.

Around the same time, Mir went through a metamorphosis and grew larger as Evan became stronger. Realizing that he knew very little about dragons, Evan decided to research more about Mir’s species. They went to Henesys to find Jay, Chief Stan’s son, and asked him if he had any books on dragons. Jay told him that he did, though he only allowed Evan read it at the house, as he had been meaning to read it himself. Evan read that Mir’s species was part of a category called Special Dragons, but details about Special Dragons were in the next volume of the book. Jay suggested that they visit the Magic Library in Ellinia in order to find the next volume. There, Grendel told them that the book had already been checked out.

After a long search, Evan finally tracked down the owner and obtained the book. He then discovered that Mir was a type of Special Dragon called an Onyx Dragon, whose souls were completed after forming Spirit Pacts with humans who possessed a soul of the same frequency. However, he also discovered that Onyx Dragons were said to be extinct. Refusing to believe that he was the last of his kind, Mir insisted that they do more research. Evan asked Grendel about Onyx Dragons, who told them that his friend, Chief Tatamo of Leafre, was a Halflinger, a race of dragon experts, and promised to ask him more about Onyx Dragons.